If you know me, you know I HATE working out. Hate it with a passion. It’s one of those things, I have to actually make time for, or it doesn’t get done. And before I discovered HIIT, it took a lot of time, those blasted P90X or Insanity dvd’s are forever long. I literally used to dread it all day, I kept pushing it back, and then when I finally set out to do it, I bored almost instantly. For me, it’s absolute hell.
I do, however, you know, enjoy exercise. Like the natural kind, playing tag, racing the kids up the stairs, kayaking, snowboarding, a pick up game of soccer, or football. I love the ocean, I love surfing, I love hiking, well that’s kind of a lie, I bore easily of hiking as well. But you get the idea, I love fast paced activities that start and stop at will.
Therefore, when a friend, Andie, introduced me to HIIT, I ate it up. I mean, seriously, a 15-40 minute High Intensity workout that kicked my butt, left me literally in a heap on the floor, but only took up a blip of time in my day … life hack.
Add in the fact that you actually burn MORE calories in a shorter period of time doing High Interval Intensity Training than if you ran at the same pace for 60 minutes … I’m sold!!!
Again, if you know me, or read any of my blogs, you know I also love life hacks. Life is hard. Losing weight is nearly impossible, but I’m here to tell you, HIIT is the shiot. No lie. HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training, gets your heart pumping, your metabolism blaring and your body fat burning in as little as 15 minutes!!! It’s basically, 45 seconds of hard ass work, 15 seconds of rest. Even I can bust my butt for 45 seconds!
In fact, I recently completed a 30-day HIIT Challenge … HIIT Mafia. It was hard as hell, Melissa Ioja kicked my tush, but at the end, I was down lbs, inches and I felt like a boss.
Combined with my high protein diet, intermittent fasting, clean, organic protein drinks and a totally different mind-set re: working out, I was full of energy, feeling so badass and proud of myself. I just couldn’t believe how much change I was seeing.
HIIT is now my jam and for you busy momma’s, daddy’s, teens, whomever, I’m telling you, it should be yours too because HIIT is …
Table of Contents
Fast and Convenient
Oh my gosh, it’s so fast and can be done anywhere, at anytime. In fact, I did a 15 minute HIIT workout in our RV while we were barrelling down the road! My friend, she does a lot of her workouts on the side of a river, waiting for her son and husband to paddle past! You don’t need a ton of equipment, maybe a few hand weights, or heavy rocks, and you are good.
And, because of something to do with oxygen and your body (science isn’t my forte’, y’all) the best part is that your body keeps burning that blasted fat after you stop working out! Woot Woot!
Burns More Calories
Just 10 minutes of HIIT can burn more calories than 30 minutes of running! Plus, like I mentioned, and will keep on mentioning, your body keeps on burning fat for like 24 hours after interval training, so you will burn even more calories post workout as well!!!
Good For Your Heart
HIIT works you hella hard, in fact I often feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest because it’s beating so flipping hard! I used to think this was a bad thing, that I wanted to stay within some fat burning zone and a crazy fast heart beat was bad, but boy was I wrong!!
Not only is it great for weight loss, it’s great for your heart as well. After my 30 day HIIT Mafia Challenge I was able to keep up with my kids on the soccer field better than ever before. In fact, studies, like actual research studies, have proven this very fact.
No Equipment Necessary
HIIT is great for those of us who are broke as hell because you don’t have to buy a single piece of equipment. Nothing. Nada. Just you and your own body weight is typically all that’s necessary!
This means, you don’t need the gym or mats or weights or a treadmill or expensive DVD’s, just an Internet Connection and access to Youtube or Facebook. There are so many FREE HIIT workouts out there and they are so uncomplicated that after a few weeks, you can easily make up your own!!
Increasing Your Metabolism
HIIT is universally recognized as being the fastest and most efficient way to burn calories. But that’s not all, Bill Phillips, author of Body for Life, endorsed HIIT, asserting, “Research indicates that not only does high-intensity training burn fat more effectively than low-intensity exercise… It also speeds up your metabolism and keeps it revved up for some time after your workout.”
That, to me is a golden nugget of information. Why on earth would I do some other kind of exercise when HIIT works after I’m done? Yeah, I like gifts that keep on giving.
Keeps Muscles Strong While Burning Fat
It’s well known that if you are dieting you are not only losing weight, but losing muscle as well. In fact, since I’ve been “coaching”, I’ve seen dramatic weight loss, but also muscle loss in friends and family that aren’t adding exercise into their routine. Now, for the record, I use the word “coaching” very lightly because I’m not certified in anything. I just found a program that actually works for me, after trying just about everything on the planet, and I’m more sharing it and teaching friends and family about the science behind it and stuff. I don’t think it’s possible to lose weight, to stay healthy, without some form of supplements these days …
Doesn’t Get Boring
My absolute biggest complaint about the long cardio workouts is that they took forever and I was bored out of my mind. I cannot, simply cannot, do the same boring and repetitive thing over and over. I need change. I need to mix it up. HIIT is perfect for people like me. Actually HIIT is perfect for just about everyone.
HIIT pushes you to your limits, constantly changing, and working you so darn hard, they are over before you have the opportunity to think, “when is this gonna end”. Truly, HIIT is cardio on steroids. LOL.
So what is HIIT Really?
High-Intensity Interval Training , HIIT, describes any workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of rest.
For example 45 seconds of Burpees, 15 seconds of rest. Then 45 seconds of High Knees, 15 seconds of rest. 45 seconds of Mountain Climbers, 15 seconds of rest. Then 45 seconds Box Jumps, 15 seconds of rest. Repeat these 4 minute intervals 4 times … that’s a 16 minute workout that can be done literally anywhere with KILLER benefits!!
HIIT is best accompanied by a clean, healthy diet. If you are really wanting to lose weight and increase lean muscle, I highly recommend finding a supplemental program, devoid of soy, that can help keep you stay on track with clean eating. Diet alone doesn’t cut it, I’m telling you straight up!
I can send you info on the program we, as a family, use. If you are interested, just send me an email. Today, it is so hard to lose weight with all the chemicals in our food, they just attach to our fat cells and don’t let go. I literally tried everything from the Master Cleanse to Weight Watchers to eating RAW for 47 days … nothing worked until I finally took the plunge and followed a supplemental program. I needed it to taste good, and be easy, but mostly just to stinkin work already. I was skeptical, but one year later, I’m still on course because it works, I feel great and I have energy! Find that program that works, invest in it and be healthy for yourself and your family, I’m telling you, you’ll never look back!!
Oh and for those of us that like a drink or two, check out this link … LOW Calorie Adult Beverages for the win!!
